Officer Majid Khan has served the Poly community for 10 years as a member of the Security Department, directing students every day in the Commons line or to the buses. Yet, many remain unaware of who he is outside of this campus. A Guyanese immigrant, loyal family man, and the embodiment of care and dedication in and out of his work, Khan brings a rich perspective and essential discipline to the Poly community.
Khan came to the United States with his twin sisters, leaving his wife and children — Rehana, Reshanna, and Kevin — behind in Guyana for a period of time. According to the Embassy of Guyana, the largest Guyanese diaspora exists in the United States today, with 86,120 Guyanese-born U.S. citizens out of the island’s population of 831,087.
Patrolling Commons and campus with student safety in mind, Khan said, “I’m very stern.” He then reflected, “I don’t want anyone to fear me, disrespect me, and likewise, I do the same. In this life, you shouldn’t frighten mankind or any other human being. We respect each other… and we all must have discipline.” This view carries through to every aspect of Khan’s life outside of Poly. Adelaide Swartz ’27 said, “I would love to know more about him. He asks me how my day is all the time and is just a nice guy.” Swartz continued, “I think if more students knew about his life, he’d be able to connect with more people, and it would just create a nice atmosphere.”
Head of Security Xerxes Vizcaino spoke of Khan similarly and noted, “I don’t know that well of him outside of work, but I know that he is a family man. He believes in his faith and progress in the world.” These ideas are integral to who Khan is. “He has good intentions. He wants to make sure that everybody’s safe,” continued Vizcaino.
In the six years following his immigration, Khan rented a room in a family’s home in Brooklyn. Initially hired to work part-time at Poly in 2016, Khan began working seven days a week on the Poly campus to support his family’s immigration to the United States in early 2017. “It was a real struggle,” said Khan. But I’m very much thankful to be here,” he continued. Khan’s tireless work ethic was evident in his ability to prepare for his family’s arrival, and then to work around the recent global pandemic, COVID-19.
Unbeknownst to Poly students, the Operations and Security Departments remained entirely on campus throughout the pandemic. Khan continued commuting to Poly and working on immigration paperwork for his family, unsure of how they would navigate the bureaucratic upheaval of the immigration process.
According to the Wharton School of Business, from 2020 to 2021, United States immigration policies included “suspension of visa services at all embassies and consulates, partial closure of the U.S. land border, suspension of refugee resettlement, and widening restrictions on travel.” These measures have had “lasting impact beyond the direct effects of the pandemic.” Additionally, the National Immigration Forum reported, “In response to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, refugee admissions from Latin America reached the lowest levels in two decades.” Khan’s experience was not isolated, yet the necessary halt in his family’s immigration process made him look at his life differently.
Khan said this time taught him that “you can chase your dreams… but you have to live in the moment.” He added, “COVID gave us a different mentality towards life…the airports were closed, there was no way out and no way in, but then God answered our prayers.” Religious faith plays a key role in Khan’s life. He attends church almost every Sunday alongside his family, whom he eventually brought to New York in 2023. He concluded, “I was so happy when they came here… I counted all [my] blessings.”
Today, Khan lives in an apartment in Queens with his wife and children, commuting to Poly almost every day on the subway. Since 2023, he has started taking Sundays off to attend church and to spend quality time with family. He noted, “After church, we like to go to IHOP or the Atlantic Diner.”
As he reflected on time spent with his family and that spent at Poly, Khan said, “I take my job seriously, that’s how I pay my bills… but I also love to travel… my intention is to work, and then someday go back to my country and retire with my family.”
